Geography 101: Exam 4

Using the map in the California Field Guide #8, sand from which location will have to travel the greatest distance along the coast before it is carried out to deep waters offshore?

Dana Point

Wind erosion involves ________, which is the lifting and removal of sand particles by wind. It may form depressions called blowouts. Creates desert pavement, or reg (stony desert surface).

Deflation

_______ drainage is the most common. Tree-like pattern.

Dendritic

Streams erode, transport, and ________.

Deposit

The Mississippi River Flood (1993) spanned 6.6 million acres, 9 states, and resulted in 38 deaths. It is a ________ year flood+, but in some areas the discharge exceeded the 500-year flood!

100

____% of all water on Earth is composed of glaciers.

2.15

The Amazon River contains ______% of total water flowing in the world's rivers. It is the largest river in the world (by volume of water).

20

The Hwang Ho (Yellow) River is in the upper reach of the river and has a Loess landscape with a heavy load of silt. Its riverbed is up to _____m higher than the flood plain!

20

YOU MADE IT

200+ TERMS?! Go have a margarita ;)

It has been calculated that _____ percent of the world's total precipitation falls over continents.

22

A 50-year flood is a flood of a size expected to occur once every ___ years.

50

Spray from breaking waves has been found to move at more than ________ miles an hour

70

_____% of all water on Earth is composed of oceans. The Pacific Ocean covers more area than all the land on Earth combined.

97.2

A coast that has risen

Emergent coast

Wave refraction results in increased ___________ on a headland.

Erosion

_________ streams originate elsewhere and flow through a dry region. Examples include the Nile and Colorado Rivers.

Exotic

Glaciers move ___________ at the surface near the center, and ____________ at the base along the sides.

Fastest; slowest

Limestone structure hanging from the Ceiling of a cave:

stalaCtite

Limestone structure reaching up from the Ground of a cave:

stalaGmite

Angle of Repose

steepest angle that loose fragments can maintain dry sand: 32-34 degrees wet sand: 80 degrees gravel: 45 degrees

The disastrous tsunami of 2004 ________.

struct coasts in the Indian Ocean

According to the California Field Guide, most of the salt found in the middle of the Badwater Basin in Death Valley is ______ ______.

table salt (NaCl)

A line connecting the deepest parts of the stream channel is the ________.

thalweg

The top of permafrost is sometimes called __________.

the active layer

Wildfires may speed up the process of physical weathering. True or false?

true

Salt Wedging

type of mechanical weathering; salt crystals grow and fracture rock *arid regions

Frost Wedging

type of mechanical weathering; water freezes, expands, and fractures rock *important at high elevations & high latitudes

Translational slide

type of slide; rock material slides on a plane of weakness; failure surface parallel to slope

Rotational slump

type of slide; rotation on a curved failure surface; material settles at top & rotates outwards

Lakes form most of the world's surface water and are formed by glacial action, sinkholes in limestone, and _________ _________/____________.

volcanic activity/faulting

Coral lives in ___________, clear water.

warm

Stream

water flowing through a channel

A horizontal bench on the shore resulting from wave erosion is called a __________.

wave-cut platform

Cliffed coast

wave-cut platform & marine terraces

Biological Weathering

weathering caused by the activities of living organisms ex. tree roots fracture rock, lichens decompose rocks

Most ocean waves are caused by

wind

Ice deep within glaciers is capable of bending rather than breaking. True or false?

True

Mechanical weathering is the most important form of weathering in a desert region. True or false?

True

Much loess deposition in eastern Asia resulted from deflation. True or false?

True

Over a span of years, worldwide precipitation will equal total evaporation/transpiration. True or false?

True

Some geysers erupt continuously. True or false?

True

The heat emanating from a geyser basin is hundreds of times greater than the heat emanating from a non-geyser of the same size. True or false?

True

Yosemite Valley went through multiple glaciations during the Pleistocene. True or false?

True

Desert streams are formed by thunderstorms, high runoff (flashfloods), and sediment. __________ is the most important for shaping features.

Water

The most important agent of erosion in a desert is _________.

Water

In the Grand Canyon, if you see a gentle slope, the rock that forms it is likely to be composed of ______________ rock.

Weak

Sea water contains 3.5% of salts by volume and ranges from 80 degrees Fahrenheit to 28 degrees Fahrenheit. Which sides of the ocean are warmer?

West sides

Aeolian refers to _________ action. It may erode, transport, and deposit.

Wind

As an agent of erosion, ________ is more important in desert regions than in any other landscape, except beaches.

Wind

At what time of year do beaches get smaller?

Winter

The most recent glacial stage of the Pleistocene in North America was the __________.

Wisconsin

Dams

a barrier that runs across a river or stream to control the flow of water

Artesian

a free-flowing well due to increased pressure from water flowing through a confined aquifer

Divide

a ridge of land that separates one watershed from another

Stream rocks have a rounded shape principally because of _________. Bedload is most responsible for the scouring in a stream channel.

abrasion

The brilliant colors around hot springs and geysers are due to ___________.

algae

Zone of saturation

all pore spaces are filled with water

The continental divide in the main part of the United States runs __________.

along the Rocky Mountains

Steep cliffs along a shoreline often indicate

an emergent coast

An ______ is a zone of permeable rock that contains water and releases it to a well.

aquifer

Most liquid freshwater is found

as groundwater

Along coastal cliffs, the most effective wave erosion takes place

at about sea level

A circular coral island enclosing a lagoon

atoll

The most advanced stage of tropical reef formation is exhibited in an ________.

atoll

A __________ reef is a coral reef that runs parallel to a coast, and a little offshore, separated from the shore by a lagoon.

barrier

In a humid region with limestone bedrock, ________ ________ may be dissolved.

calcium carbonate

The maximum load a stream can carry is its __________. Related to stream discharge.

capacity

Chemical Weathering

chemical decomposition of rocks - high moisture & high temperatures - effective in humid tropics

If there are lots of volcanic eruptions on Earth, the global climate is likely to get ________, because volcanic ash will reflect sunlight.

colder

The size of the largest particle a stream can carry is its ________. Related to velocity.

competence

Floodwalls

concrete walls to keep stream inside its channel

Erosion involves hydraulic action, abrasion, and _________.

corrosion

According to the California Field Guide, alluvial deposits consisting of both large rocks and sand in which the large rocks come to rest without touching each other are most likely produced by ______ ____.

debris flow

Gradient, or the steepness, usually _________ downstream.

decreases

A _______ is a landform produced when sediment is deposited at the mouth of a stream. The Mississippi River has a "birdsfoot" ______. It is subsiding because of loss of sediment load and a rise in sea level.

delta

point bar

deposit of sediment build up by a river on the inside bend of a meander

Summer waves come from the south and their low energy waves ___________.

deposit sand on the beach

Erosion

detachment and removal of broken rock material

The ________ load of a stream refers to materials carried in solution (clear), while the _______ load refers to materials carried by turbulence of a stream without settling (muddy).

dissolved; suspended

__________ are small, shifting channels that carry water away from a stream.

distributaries

________ is a calcium magnesium carbonate rock which dissolves almost as easily as limestone.

dolomite

Mass Wasting

downslope movement of broken rock material; gravity is the energizing force

Levees

embankments built along a river to prevent the water from flooding the land

Water is a major agent of weathering because of its property that, when it freezes, it decreases in density and _____________.

expands in volume

Rates of denudation are highest in _______ _________.

high mountains

Chemical weathering tends to take place at the highest rate in an environment with _______ temperatures and ______ levels of moisture.

high; high

_______ ________ refer to groundwater that comes into contact with hot rocks near a magma chamber.

hot springs

Waves erode the coast by ______, hydraulic action, and abrasion.

impact

Clay layers are ________.

impermeable

Aquiclude/aquitard

impermeable rock layer

Urban development may _______ flood heights.

increase

Waterfalls develop at a _________, which is resistant rock above and less resistant rock below.

knickpoint

Glaciers, large masses of moving ice, form on _______ and move by gravity. More snow in winter than melting in summer. Grow if there is a precipitation increase OR temperature decrease.

land

Salinity is generally highest in _______ _______.

landlocked seas

Biological water (water in living organisms) constitutes what percentage of water in the Earth's system?

less than 1%

Calcium carbonate, _______, is slightly soluble in water.

limestone

Denudation

lowering of the land surface by weathering and erosion

Cone of depression

lowering of the water table around an active well

A _______ ________ is formed when a wave-cut platform is uplifted above sea level on a tectonically rising coast.

marine terrace

Flows

material flows downslope as a fluid 1. earthflow 2. mudflow

The Pleistocene Epoch ___________.

may not yet have ended

Stream channels may be straight (rare in nature), sinuous, braided, or __________.

meandering

Exfoliation

mechanical AND chemical weathering; peeling off curved layers of rock

Pressure release

mechanical weathering; as pressure is removed, rocks expand

Temperature changes

mechanical weathering; weaken rocks

The Basin and Range landscape consists of block faulting, which are parallel _________ faults that create horsts and grabens (ex. Death Valley).

normal

The dominant direction of longshore currents between Dana Point and La Jolla is from ______ to _____.

north ----> south

The ______ is base level, or the lowest point to which a stream can flow.

ocean

Erosion in a meandering stream normally takes place on the ___________ bank of a curve.

outside

Meanders become wider until they are cut off to form _______ _________.

oxbow lakes

The __________ is the bedrock of mountains.

pediment

Streams that contain water all year are called _______, while streams that contain water very briefly after a rain are called _________.

perennial; ephemeral

Weathering

physical and chemical disintegration of rock into smaller pieces

According to the California Field Guide, the most common plant you would see in the saltiest locations in Death Valley is _________.

pickleweed

A _______ is formed with the stalactite and stalagmite connect.

pillar

Ocean waters generally have the least salinity in ______ ______.

polar regions

Zone of aeration

pore spaces partly filled with water/air

Deserts have low rainfall (evaporation > ___________), little vegetation, mechanical weathering, and little soil.

precipitation

The sand from the mountains to a beach in California was composed on the most common rock-forming minerals, which are _________ and _________.

quartz feldspar

Drainage basin (watershed)

region drained by a single stream system (river & tributaries)

The existence of a stream terrace is sure evidence of ___________.

rejuvenation

Winter storm waves come from the north and their high energy waves __________.

remove sand from the beach

Talus

rock fragments at the base of the slope

Falls

rock is loosened by weathering and falls to the base of the slope

A permanent lake in a basin of internal drainage is composed of __________.

saline

An interior lake is a _____ lake.

salt

Mudflow

saturated material moves rapidly down drainage channels; often semiarid/arid region; often volcanic mudflows

Solifluction

saturated soil above permafrost moves slowly downslope

The beaches in South Florida are composed of small bits of ________.

seashells

Surface waters, such as rivers and streams, return water to the ocean and carry _________ and _________.

sediments; dissolved material

Continental Divide

separates the streams that flow into the Pacific from those that flow into the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico

Earthflow

slope collapses; saturated slope moves downhill; often slowly, often in a humid environment

Soil creep

slow movement of soil particles under the influence of gravity; slowest and least noticeable form of mass wasting

A wide shallow channel is _________ than a narrow, deep channel.

slower

The more rough a channel is, the more friction, and therefore the ________ it moves.

slower

______ load materials are carried along the bed of a stream. It is carried in 2 ways: _________ (bounce) and _________ (sliding/pushing/rolling/dragging).

Bed; Saltation; Traction

A ________ stream is interconnected, has an excessive load of sand and gravel, and is wide & shallow.

Braided

Walls parallel to the shore that protect the harbor are called _____________.

Breakwater

A _________ stream gentle curves.

Sinuous

Mesa and Scarp Landscape

- Colorado Plateau: horizontal sedimentary strata - Sedimentary layers erode to a layer of resistant rock (caprock)

Basin and Range Landscape

- Internal drainage - Exotic Rivers - Rugged mountains and flat basins - Normal faults

Chemical decomposition of rock includes ...

- Oxidation (iron & aluminum) - Hydrolysis - Carbonation (limestone)

Velocity of a stream

- faster the stream, the larger the grain size carried - maximum velocity is near the middle of straight channel - on a curved channel, maximum velocity is on the outside of the curve

Mass wasting facilitated by ...

- oversteepening - road cut at base of slope - irrigating a yard at the top of slope - decrease friction - add weight to the top of the slope - remove vegetation - dipping layers of sedimentary rocks resulting in falls, slides, and flows

What happens when a wave moves into shallow water?

- wavelength decreases - wave height increases - velocity decreases

_____% of all water on Earth is composed of groundwater.

0.62

Mississippi River Drainage Basin drains _____ of the lower 48 states.

1/3

The Pleistocene Epoch started about 2.5 million years ago and ended about 10,000 years ago. _______ of the Earth was covered with ice. Now, 10% of the Earth is covered by ice.

1/3

About _____% of Earth is covered with ice.

10

Soluble carbonate rocks are at or near approximately ________ percent of Earth's land surface.

10

Glaciers move through plastic flow, which is where they deform & spread outwards, as well as _______ _________.

Basal sliding

Glaciers grow if accumulation exceeds ________.

Ablation

The equilibrium line is where __________ balances ablation.

Accumulation

________ _____ are formed when sediment pours out of V-shaped canyons.

Alluvial fans

______ is stream-deposited material. It is deposited when discharge/velocity decreases.

Alluvium

________ is a series of alluvial fans that have coalesced along the foot of mountains to form a gently sloping plain of sediments.

Bajada

_________ dunes are crescent-shaped. Their horns point downwind. Constant wind, limited sand supply.

Barchan

_________ is the most easily dissolved in water.

Calcium

________ drainage involve streams converging into a central basin.

Centripetal

The LA River is a concrete channel. _________ increases velocity, decreases flooding, decreases infiltration but also increases runoff/pollution to the ocean and decreases habitat.

Channelization

________ _______ are different layers of sand that are manipulated by wind direction.

Cross beds

__________ _____________ involves the weight of ice depresses the crust and rebounds after glaciers melt.

Crustal Depression

Coral growing on the shore of an island

Fringing reef

Snowflakes are compressed to form granular snow, which is compressed to form neve/firn, which is compressed into _______ ________.

Glacial ice

Headwaters are steep, resulting in V-shaped valleys, rapids and waterfalls. Wide flood pain flows into the mouth which is a gentle slope. The ______ is the angle of a stream channel measured by its steepness.

Gradient

According to the California Field Guide, Yosemite Valley is made up of _______.

Granite

Walls perpendicular to the shore that are used to trap sand are called _____________.

Groins

According to the California Field Guide, alluvial fans that have a lot of desert varnish or desert pavement indicate that it is _________.

Inactive

Water flows to interior basins but does not reach the ocean, creating ________ drainage.

Internal/interior

How is the Santa Barbara harbor kept clear?

It is dredged all year.

Why are more than HALF of all the hydrothermal features in the world located in Yellowstone?

It's above a mantle plume

________ topography refers to landscape that develops in humid regions with limestone bedrock. Includes caverns, sinkholes, and poor developed stream networks.

Karst

__________ is windblown silt. Fine particles of silt that may be cemented by calcium carbonate.

Loess

_______ dunes are parallel to each other and to the wind, plentiful sand, wind coming from two directions.

Longitudinal

___________ _________ flows parallel to shore and transports sand down coast.

Longshore current

A __________ stream has wide curves, is common in the lower reach of the stream, develops on a flood plain, and carries silt & clay.

Meandering

According to the California Field Guide, why are there few large glacial moraines found within Yosemite Valley?

Meltwater carried the glacial debris down to the Central Valley

The ___________ zone is not covered by ice sheets, but is influenced by it. Includes meltwater and frost weathering.

Periglacial

Mesa and Scarp landforms, large to small

Plateau, mesa, butte, pinnacle

A _________ is a dry desert lake that may hold water occasionally. It has a flat surface of clay/silt and salt deposits.

Playa

_________ lakes are the result of extra rainfall.

Pluvial

_______ ________ is most closely associated with the compression of air in coastline rocks.

Pneumatic action

Discharge (volume of water) equation

Q = W * D * V Channel width * Channel depth * Velocity

________ drainage are streams that radiate out from a mountain.

Radial

___________ makes lime precipitate out of a water solution.

Reduction of temperature and pressure

According to the California Field Guide, the Central Valley of California actually consists of the valleys of two rivers. What are the two rivers?

Sacramento River San Joaquin River

Bouncing action of individual sand grains along the desert floor

Saltation

According to the California field guide, oil and natural gas are extracted in the ______ ________ _________.

San Joaquin Valley

Wind deposition creates ________ ___________, which is loose windblown sand. The windward side has a gentle slope, while the leeward side is steep.

Sand dunes

According to the California Field Guide, the Central Valley Project diverts water from which 3 of these major rivers, primarily for agricultural use?

Stanislaus River Sacramento River American River

_________ dune crests radiate away from the center. Plentiful sand, wind from multiple directions, tallest, fixed almost permanently.

Star

Internal Drainage

Stream drains into interior basin - water is saline

________ coasts, where sea level has risen, are more common than emergent coasts.

Submergent

___________ (summer/winter) waves normally deposit sand on the beach.

Summer

Why does building a dam on a river sometimes contribute to coastal erosion?

Supply of sediment to beaches is cut off

Fine dust particles carried high above the ground for long distances

Suspension

At a depth that is below about _____________, the motion of the wave can no longer be felt.

half the wavelength

Mechanical Weathering

The type of weathering in which rock is physically broken into smaller pieces ex. frost wedging, salt wedging, temperature changes, pressure release

What adverse effect do groins and jetties both have on coastal erosion?

They stop transport of sand along the coast and deprive areas downcurrent of sand

Rolling or pushing along of particles by wind along the desert floor

Traction

Wind transports through suspension (fine particles - dust), saltation, and _________ (large particles - sand).

Traction

__________ dunes are covered by sand and the crests of the sand dunes are perpendicular to the wind.

Transverse

______ drainage involves long, parallel streams that alternate between layers of hard and soft rock.

Trellis

A tsunami generated by the 1964 Alaska earthquake killed people in California. True or false?

True

According to the California Field Guide, the Central Valley Project diverts so much water from the San Joaquin River that a section of the river goes dry almost every year. True or false?

True

As a landscape feature, natural lakes should be viewed as temporary in the context of Earth history. True or false?

True

Caverns can form in marble bedrock. True or false?

True

Drainage in karst areas is often beneath the surface. True or false?

True

Loess accumulates downwind from the source of fine sediment, is found in China and the US, may collapse in earthquakes, and often has ________ soil.

fertile

A _______ is a broad strip of land in a river valley that is covered with sediments. Covered with water during floods. Characterized by meanders, oxbow lakes, and _______ __________.

floodplain; natural levees

Intermittent stream

flowing water periods during WET SEASON

Slides

form of mass wasting in which the material moves downslope as a solid mass 1. rotational slump 2. translational slide

According to the California Field Guide, several times during the Pleistocene epoch, Death Valley was filled with as much as 600 feet of ______ ________.

fresh water

Most of the fresh water on Earth is

frozen

A _______ is a vent/opening in the ground from which steam and other gases escape.

fumarole

________ are eruptions of water and steam. Constriction in rock layers prevents water from rising easily. Found in Yellowstone, Iceland, New Zealand, and Siberia. May be used for geothermal energy.

geysers

A block of land that has been dropped down between two parallel normal faults is a/an _____________. A block of land that has been raised up between two parallel normal faults is a/an _______.

graben; horst

Frost wedging is associated with _______ _______ in coarse-grained rocks.

granular disintegration

The greater the discharge the ...

greater its capacity, or the more sediment a stream can carry

Water table

the top of the saturated zone

What is the intended purpose of the seawalls, riprap, and concrete plugs along the coast at Del Mar Shores?

to reduce the erosion of the coastal bluffs and cliffs

_________ ________ refers to tall, steep limestone hills in a karst landscape.

tower karst

A _________ includes massive deposits of calcium carbonate deposited by hot springs.

travertine